This invention relates to a telescopic transducer mount, which has particular but not exclusive application as an extendible earphone and microphone for portable electronic equipment.
The recent expansion in the availability of different types of portable electronic devices is well known. These include laptop and hand held portable computers, the latter sometimes known as electronic organizers or personal digital assistants. Mobile telephones are also well known and these are increasingly being integrated with small portable computers to form a convenient hand held multifunctional unit, for example as in the Nokia 9000 Communicator, which combines a personal digital assistant with a mobile telephone.
The inherent problem with devices in which the user needs to interact with the display while also using an earphone and/or microphone, is that the display needs to be positioned at a comfortable viewing distance, while any microphone should optimally be near the user""s mouth, and any speaker or earphone near the user""s ear. The comfortable viewing distance can depend on what is comfortable for an individual as well as on the use of the apparatus, for example if it is to be hand-held at a comfortable focusing distance for reading a display screen, or if, in the case of a laptop for example, the apparatus is generally used at arm""s length while the user is typing.
The present invention provides portable electronic apparatus comprising display means and a telescopic transducer mount comprising a plurality of sections, wherein the mount includes an audio transducer and is operable such that the position of the transducer is adjustable relative to the display means. The display means may be a liquid crystal display within a body which includes processing means for running programs.
The transducer may be a microphone or an earphone which may be adjusted to be close to the user""s mouth or ear respectively, enabling a user to provide voice input to, or to listen to sound output from, for example, a multi-media program, while continuing to view the display generated by the program.
Such an apparatus may provide a second audio transducer mounted to the same mount, wherein the first transducer is a microphone and the second transducer is an earphone. The positions of the microphone and earphone are adjustable relative to one another and relative to the display means. This addresses the problem of the user""s eye, ear and mouth operating at different distances from a portable electronic device.
The location of the earphone and the microphone on the same telescopic mount and adjustable in position relative to one another enables the mount, earphone and microphone to be arranged in a number of positions, so that the apparatus can function in a number of different modes.
A further advantage is that the distance between the microphone and the earphone can be adjusted for optimal performance according to the needs of each user.
The invention further provides that the telescopic mount may be conveniently folded into a recess in the body of the portable electronic apparatus. This avoids the inconvenience related to solutions which provide for a headset linked by a flexible wire to the apparatus.
In another aspect, the invention provides telescopic transducer mount apparatus comprising an audio transducer and means for releasably connecting the mount to an electronic apparatus, wherein the mount is operable such that the position of the transducer is adjustable relative to the connecting means.
The provision of a mount separate from the apparatus enables existing electronic apparatus to benefit from the invention by connecting the mount to the apparatus via a standard interface and providing suitable software to operate with the microphone and earphone located on the mount.
The invention further provides that the microphone and earphone may be located on separate telescopic mounts, allowing each transducer to be adjusted independently of the other.